State Commission Will Encourage Districts to Follow Practices of National Trusted Learning Environment Seal Over Next Five Years

Washington, DC

Thursday, October 5, 2017

The Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology today announced its support for the national Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Seal – a mark of distinction for school systems that have demonstrated a commitment to protecting student data. Identified as a priority in the Commission’s five-year strategic plan, the TLE Seal and data privacy were in focus today at the Connecticut Education Technology Leaders Association’s (CTETL) annual conference. Nearly 80 school districts from across Connecticut participated in the event.

Launched in 2016 by CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking), the national TLE Seal program demonstrates a school system’s commitment to effectively protecting student data in modern learning settings. To date, 13 school systems nationwide, representing small, large, urban, and rural districts, have earned the Seal.

“The Commission firmly backs the TLE Seal as a key part of our five-year State Educational Technology Goals and Plan. We look forward to partnering with CoSN and CTETL to raise awareness of the TLE Seal and encourage its adoption as a best-practice framework for K-12 data privacy,” said Doug Casey, Executive Director of the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology.

“As the TLE recipients have demonstrated, ensuring strong, effective student data privacy protections is a serious and growing priority for school systems around the country. We appreciate the Commission for recognizing the importance of the program and stand ready to help districts across Connecticut improve their privacy efforts,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN.

Over the coming months, the Commission will collaborate with CTETL leaders to provide information, guidance, as well as professional development and training opportunities surrounding the TLE Seal framework. The Commission will also work with CoSN to promote the use of the framework and encourage districts to convey their commitment to safeguarding student data.

Developed for K-12 school systems and school organizations of all governance structures, the TLE Seal was formed through decades of experience and expertise from 28 school system leaders nationwide, as well as the Program’s lead partners: AASA, The School Superintendents Association; the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO); and ASCD. Their collective input identified the steps schools should take – beyond regulatory compliance – to help ensure student data privacy and security.

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